Truth or Dare
by plumbloom
Summary: The Marauders experiment with a Muggle game. oneshot, Sirius/Remus.


Remus had made it known from the start that while he enjoyed the company of his friends in animal form during the long hours he spent as a werewolf, the transformations themselves were not to be witnessed by anyone.

Thus it was one evening that, after a vague nuzzle from Padfoot, Moony stalked up to the dusty bedroom to transform. As soon as he was safely shut in, James transformed back into human form, itching madly at his head. "Merlin," he complained, "I'm itching like a harpy. He's never gone that long!"

"The moon was out all today," Peter pointed out.

"Well, whatever," James dismissed Peter's comment and started rummaging in the corner, where the boys kept their stash of butterbeer and other illegal gifts they brought to comfort and amuse Remus. Scooping up a warm bottle, kept heated with a simple charm, James cracked it open and took a long swallow. "Want some?" Peter shook his head and James turned to Sirius, who had also Transfigured back, and repeated, "You want one, Padfoot?"

Sirius was not paying attention. His focus was upstairs, with the faint moans and curses coming from the bedroom. When his best friend repeated himself, however, he snapped out of his daze. "What?"

"I said, do you want a butterbeer?"

"No." He returned his full attention to the door, barely visible over the long flight of stairs, and wished that he still had a dog's keen sense of hearing. "D'you…d'you think he's okay up there?"

James looked at Peter, who shrugged, and then said to Sirius: "He's been doing this for years. I wouldn't worry about it."

"Who said I was worrying?"

"Easy, Sirius, you don't have to jump all over me." James gave him an odd look that Sirius quickly recognised – it was time to divert attention from himself. Abandoning his vigil at the foot of the stairs, he crossed the room and flopped down in a dusty old armchair.

"So. It's eight o'clock, what do you want to do?"

"We could head back to the dorms," Peter suggested.

"It's still early," James dismissed with a wave of his hand, settling himself down on the couch. Peter flushed and went silent at the rejection of his idea and stared very hard at the floor.

"We could play a game."

James snorted. "What sort of game?"

"A Muggle game – no, don't laugh, it's brilliant, or so Lily Evans tells me."

"What're you doing with Lily Evans?"

Sirius grinned nastily. "Wouldn't you like to know? Anyhow, it's called…bugger, what's the name?...I don't remember. But you dare other people to do all sorts of ridiculous things, and they have to do them. Else you ask them a question, and they have to answer."

"'Truth or Dare'?" Peter ventured from where he was drawing circles in the dust with a thick forefinger.

"Yes, that's it."

"I've heard about it before. Sounds boring to me," James said skeptically.

"That's only because you haven't played it yet," Sirius retorted. "Besides, it'll be a good way to get Moony out of his mood."

"What mood?"

"That mood he's always in after the transformations."

James' face twisted into an ironic grin. "What, bleeding and morose? Or crying and then fainting?"

Sirius, who was known for his joking, permanently-plastered smirk, said, "Don't joke like that," with eyes like quartzite and fingers that every so slightly dug into the crushed velvet of the armchair.

The de facto leader of the Marauders did not take to opposition well and there might have been an altercation had not Peter, ever the buffer, hurriedly said, "But James, I still don't understand this Muggle game. What are the rules again?" and James was distracted by his sycophant's idiocy.

"Don't be so thick, Wormtail. The whole point of the game is that there aren't any rules." Peter still looked befuddled, and James started to go off on another litany, but Sirius interrupted him.

"Why don't we play a round, so that you can get the hang of it, Peter?"

The chubby blond nodded gratefully at him.

"You can go first, James."

The dark-haired boy leaned back on the sofa and appeared to think. "Alright," he said slowly. "Peter."

He perked up. "Yes?"

"Truth or dare?"

Peter looked helplessly to Sirius, who very unhelpfully was once more trying to listen to the noises coming from upstairs. "Pick one," he said impatiently, and waved a hand at him in a universal 'shush' gesture.

"Er…truth."

James' smile grew larger. "Alright. What's your deepest darkest secret?"

Blanching, Peter stammered, "Er…"

Hearing this rather poor attempt, Sirius leaned back into the conversation. "I should have known you'd be poor at this, Prongs. You don't ask such broad things. Be specific. Be nasty. Like this: Peter?"

"Yes?"

"How many times a day do you go at yourself?"

If at all possible, Peter had gone even whiter under his baby-blond cap of hair. "Er!"

James looked almost wolfish in his delight. "You have to answer – no chickening out."

"Er…only two or three…most days…"

But both of the others were already roaring with laughter, pounding on the furniture and making dust rise in the thick air.

"_Only two or three!_" James gasped. "Only two or three! Merlin, that was priceless!"

The soft thump of a foot on the stair quieted them down. Sirius twisted around, while James, still chuckling softly, took a swig of his butterbeer and patted Peter's back in absent-minded condolence. The blond boy had his head in his hands, thoroughly embarrassed.

Remus came down the stairs slowly, gripping the banister with white knuckles, black-socked feet landing like hollow lead as he seemingly dragged himself downstairs. He'd attempted to fix his hair by tying it back, but his hands must have been shaking, for reddish pieces still looped loosely around his face. He gave them all a shaky smile, but obviously did not trust himself to talk. Sirius wanted to look away from the bruised and exhausted face, but could not bring himself to actually execute the motion.

"Alright, Moony," James drawled in greeting, and Sirius hated him in that instant for being the reason he couldn't get up and help Remus downstairs, hated him for speaking so commonly and in vulgar slang at a time like this, hated him for the way he didn't seem to care about Remus anymore, not at all, not at all.

But Remus didn't seem to notice, or else he didn't care, and he forced a wider smile and a raspy, "Alright, Prongs."

"We were just playing Truth or Dare," the black-haired boy continued conversationally. "Did you know that Wormtail," (and here Peter, who had finally looked up when Remus had started to descend the stairs, quickly hid his face in his hands again) but Remus finally reached the bottom of the stairs and he softly shook his head.

"You know, I'm not sure I want to know."

Miffed, James closed his mouth and stretched out his full length on the couch, while Peter breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Remus paused, clutching at the back of Sirius's chair for support, and looked around for a seat. Peter was on the floor, and Sirius occupied the only chair. Normally, he shared the couch with whoever was on it, but James still looked angry and even as Remus scanned the room he stretched out further and yawned to show that he didn't plan to move.

Disgusted with his best friend, Sirius got up. "Have a seat, Moony."

"Oh, I can sit on the floor…"

"Sit." Sirius crouched next to Peter, who seemed grateful for the company, and Remus reluctantly lowered himself into the chair.

"So where were we?" James said, managing to sound infinitely bored and completely attentive at the same time.

"It's Peter's turn now," Sirius supplied.

"Oh! Er – Sirius, I guess, truth or dare?"

"Dare. Something good. And dirty."

James' eyes, which had been half-closed in a leisurely fashion, now flew open. "I'm not letting any of you do anything to me."

"Ah ah ah. No rules, remember?"

"No rules my arse! Damn you, Sirius, you know how I feel about flits."

"It wasn't your turn anyway." Sirius turned back to an openmouthed Peter. "I believe you were about to dare me?"

"Uh, yeah." Peter swallowed hard as James gave him a menacing look. "Uh – I dare you to…to…"

"Apparate into Honeydukes and grab us some food," James cut in, grinning at his own cleverness.

Sirius shot him a look. "It wasn't your turn – "

"No, yeah, that's fine. Do that," Peter said hurriedly.

He shook his head in disgust and stood up. "Fine."

Still pale but now breathing a bit more easily, Remus sat up, looking alarmed. "They've got anti-burglary charms, Sirius, you could get hurt."

"He has to do it," James said smugly. "It was a dare."

"Then I could dare you to kiss Peter and you'd have to do it," Sirius retorted, ignoring James' disgusted look, "but you're too cowardly. I'll be back in five minutes." And he Apparated with a loud _crack_.

James rolled his eyes and leaned over to drain the last bit of butterbeer away. "I swear, if he weren't my best friend, I'd think he one, hated me and two, is gayer than all the Yuletide cheer ever."

Peter shot a look at Remus, whose gaze was vacant.

Approximately five minutes later Sirius appeared, looking wet and frazzled but nonetheless unhurt. He poured out an armful of sweets on the couch in front of James, tossed a Chocolate Frog in Remus's direction, and winced as he worked his way out of his sodden cloak. James rifled through the pile, grinning. "What did they do, Sirius, throw a bucket of water at you?"

"Actually they tried to electrocute me," Sirius said calmly, ignoring the puzzled look on James' face. "Nevermind, it's a Muggle term. I do believe it's my turn…?" And he favoured his best friend with an unpleasant smile.

James returned the nasty expression with an air of innocence as he tore into a bag of Cockroach Clusters. Peter was watching him as he methodically ate through the candy, but didn't dare to reach out and take any – one, because it had been designated as _James'_ candy and anyone who dared to touch it was instantly the object of his wrath; and two, because while James could eat his way through half of Honeydukes and not gain an ounce, Peter could feel his gut sagging with added weight just looking at the sugary hunks of food. He forced himself to look away, and in doing so caught sight of Sirius's triumphant face.

"Go ahead, then," James said through a mouthful of sweets.

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare – no, truth. I don't trust you."

Sirius shrugged. "Works either way, Prongs. Since Peter has regaled you with the details of his sex life – " and here they both snickered, James in real glee and Sirius in empty imitation "– you need to tell him all about your last sexual encounter."

"What!" James cried, in disbelief.

"In full detail. Just the two of you." Sirius grinned. "May I suggest the broom closet upstairs? It's the most private. Really, James, you should be grateful to me. You know that if _I_ was afforded the littlest tidbit about your trysts they'd be all over the school in five seconds. Peter'll keep quiet, and it'll give him a chance to win back some of his dignity."

James rolled his eyes, almost spitting, "Since when do you care about Wormtail's feelings?"

"I don't," (with an apologetic, quick motion of eyes toward Peter, who was playing with the hem of his robe again) "but I also don't want to hear about how you were snogging McGonagall in the dungeons. Again."

The referred incident, when James had bragged about his exploits in his third year, had landed them all in detention for slandering a teacher.

With ferocity, James tossed aside the wrapper he was fingering and nodded curtly to Peter. "Let's go, then. This is going to take awhile." And he threw a semi-triumphant glance at Sirius, as if to say that he was going to make the best of this and humiliate Peter and insult everyone else in any way that he could. Now he was insinuating something about Sirius's sex life, but, somehow, Sirius didn't care.

They watched the pair disappear up the stairs. Without looking at Remus, Sirius said, "Your turn."

He cleared off the couch while the werewolf blanched and stammered, "I – I don't think I want to play."

"It's better you take your turn now, while James isn't here to make nasty remarks." Sirius collapsed on the couch. "By the way, how do you feel? It must have been hard this time," he added lamely at the puzzled expression Remus was giving him. Mostly likely, he was startled that Sirius was bothering to show concern.

"It's always hard," Remus said wryly, but without self-pity. He paused, and then said, "Must I really go?"

"Yes, unless you want to wait for James and Peter to come back."

The pale, ginger-haired boy nodded. "Alright. Truth or dare?"

"Truth." No need to show his hand all at once.

Remus's pale eyes glittered in the shadowy room. He looked down, as if embarrassed, and said lowly, "Do you really like James?"

The question shocked Sirius and he tried not to show it, twining a finger through a lock of jet hair. "Er – well, he's my best friend," he said hollowly.

"But do you like him?"

"He can be a real arse…"

"But do you like him?"

"I don't know," Sirius confessed, nervously unwrapping a piece of gum, and the room fell silent again.

Then Remus smiled. "Sorry. I'm a bit – you know."

"Yes." He put the piece of gum in his mouth – it tasted like old perfume – and managed a smile.

"Your turn, now."

"Shouldn't we wait for the others?"

Remus shrugged. "If you want to." His tone made it clear that _he_ did not want to.

Afraid of getting what he wanted, Sirius bit hard into his gum, wincing as he nicked the edge of his tongue. "Truth or dare, then."

"Dare," the other boy answered, without, as it seemed, thinking.

Funny Muggle clichés, like the 'moment of truth' and 'day of reckoning' raced around his stomach like motorcycles in a steel cage. "Are you sure you feel well enough?"

"As long as you don't ask me to kiss James."

They both laughed and the tension in the room relaxed itself in almost-disappointment. "He'd put up quite a fight, I imagine."

"Yea."

"Well, then." Moments passed, and an idea entered Sirius's head, so abruptly that he almost rejected it along with other similar ideas, such as daring Remus to steal Peter's diary or kiss Lily Evans in front of the entire school. "I'm stumped."

"Come on; you've just had an idea, or you looked like you did." Remus gave him that same quizzical look, chin perched on the large arm of the dusty chair. "What was it?"

"I wasn't sure you'd agree."

Remus grinned. "That's the whole point of truth-or-dare, isn't it? What was your idea?"

"Well," and Sirius chewed almost anxiously on his gum, "I was going to dare you to get the gum out of my mouth."

Remus made a face of distaste. "I have to put my hands in your mouth?"

"Not your hands – " was _his_, Sirius Black's, face, the visage of the Ravisher of Hogwarts, turning a slight tinge of crimson? "You can't use your hands. Or your feet," he added hurriedly, as horrible images of Remus curling his toes around in Sirius's mouth sprang to mind.

"Well then, how am I supposed to get at it?" More silence. "Oh."

Sirius closed his eyes tightly and balled his hands into fists, chewing determinedly on the gum that had long since lost its flavour and appeal.

The dusty chair squeaked softly in the silent room, and then the edge of the couch where Sirius was bent just a fraction, and his nails threatened to break through his palms as Remus tapped the underside of his chin with cold fingers and made him look up.

"Don't hide it under your tongue," was the last thing Sirius heard before his entire world funneled into a dark little conduit of joy. The leftover wrappers crinkled beneath him as he was pushed back and the gum vanished, as if by magic, but the end of the dare signaled nothing for Remus and he continued to plunder Sirius's mouth with all the force of a mole-miner.

At last they broke apart, somewhat awkwardly, and Remus fingered the wet, shiny wad of gum and stared at it, neither of them speaking. Finally Sirius picked up a stray wrapper and offered it over to Remus, and their fingers brushed as he took it and then their eyes met, if only for a moment, and Sirius realised that in the lingering aftertaste of the perfumed gum there was the acrid metallic tang of blood that had been upon Remus's tongue, and he then did something very unSiriuslike: he leaned forward and hugged Remus. Remus stiffened, and then awkwardly reciprocated, wondering what he was supposed to do next.

"Your turn," Sirius murmured into the mouldy air.


End file.
